Blueberry Apricot Bundt with Brandy Icing

Brandy-soaked apricots take this cake from berry to extraordinary.

• 2/3 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp apricot brandy
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or melted unsalted butter)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp freshly grated orange zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plain yogourt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups frozen blueberries

For the brandy icing

• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp reserved orange-and-brandy liquid
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 350˚F, and generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Place the diced apricots, orange juice and apricot brandy in a small bowl, and leave them to soak for 1 hour. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the oil, sugar, lemon zest, orange zest and eggs with an electric mixer until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture, followed by all the yogourt, buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of the brandy liquid from the soaking apricots. Add the remaining flour, and beat the batter for 1 minute on medium-high speed.

Fold in the blueberries and soaked apricots (reserve the liquid for the glaze), and carefully pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Place the cake in the preheated oven, and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack, set upright and let cool.

To make the brandy icing, place the lemon juice, reserved brandy liquid and icing sugar in a small mixing bowl, and whisk in the icing sugar until smooth. For a thicker icing, add extra icing sugar.